# The White Witch explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by James Weldon Johnson.

## What happens

The poem warns younger brothers to beware of the great white witch, who appears as a beautiful young woman but is an ancient, predatory force. The speaker recounts his own seduction and spiritual draining by her, and cautions others against her allure.

## Themes in this chapter

### Temptation and Fall

The white witch's seductive beauty leads to the speaker's fall and spiritual depletion.

### Death and Mortality

The encounter with the witch results in the ebbing of the soul and a living death.

### Love and Beauty

The witch's physical beauty and the speaker's passionate attraction are central to the poem's tension.

## Character check-ins

### Satan

The white witch embodies a seductive, demonic temptation that lures and destroys.

### Eve

The witch's beauty and deceptive nature echo Eve's role in temptation.

### Death

The witch's kiss and embrace lead to spiritual death and draining of life.

## Key lines

> The great white witch rides out to-night. Trust not your prowess nor your strength, Your only safety lies in flight;

The dangerous seductress is active tonight; do not rely on your abilities, the only safe choice is to run away.

_Establishes the witch as a predatory threat and the futility of resistance._

> For in her glance there is a snare, And in her smile there is a blight.

Her look is a trap, and her smile brings ruin.

_Highlights the deceptive danger hidden in her attractive appearance._

> Around me she has twined her arms, And bound me with her yellow hair.

She has wrapped her arms around me and tied me up with her blonde hair.

_Describes the speaker's entrapment and the witch's physical hold over him._

> I felt those red lips burn and sear My body like a living coal;

Her red lips felt like a hot coal burning my flesh.

_Emphasizes the painful, destructive nature of the witch's kiss._

> Obeyed the power of those eyes As the needle trembles to the pole;

I was compelled by her eyes like a compass needle pointing north.

_Shows the irresistible, magnetic pull of the witch's gaze._

> And did not care although I felt The strength go ebbing from my soul.

I was indifferent even as I felt my spiritual strength draining away.

_Reveals the speaker's willing surrender despite the cost._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/the-white-witch
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_13_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters